Jerry Harris, who became famous for his role in Netflix’s hit documentary series Happiness was convicted after pleading guilty to sexual offenses. After be arrested in 2020 then pleading “not guilty” of the charges against him, changed his plea to “guilty” in February 2022 . Now the judge has handed down the sentence: 12 years in federal prison.
previous one Happiness The star pleaded guilty to a count for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old during a cheerleading contest, as well as a count for paying a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit videos and photos via Snapchat, according to court documents (via United States today (opens in a new tab)). Harris himself has reportedly admitted other cases of misconduct involving minors, but he was only convicted of those two counts due to a plea deal. Prosecutors rejected the other charges.
According to the outlet, Harris apologized to his victims and said he was “not a bad person” during his court appearance on July 6. She furthermore said:
I am deeply sorry for all the trauma my abuse has caused you. I am praying deeply for your suffering to end.
The sentence resulted in a hearing that reportedly lasted nearly seven hours and resulted in US District Judge Manish Shah delivering an additional sentence in addition to 12 years in federal prison. Jerry Harris is also facing eight years of probation after serving his prison sentence.
The 12-year sentence came after Harris’s lawyers took a significantly shorter six-year prison term, citing his own teenage sexual assault in his gym and a difficult childhood. References to characters in the form of letters and videos were used to support this argument. Referrals are said to come from colleagues Happiness co-stars, as well as Coach Monica Aldama .
Monique Aldama he had already commented on the case against Jerry Harris , writing shortly after her arrest that her heart was “broken into a million pieces” and that she was “devastated” by the news she described as “shocking” and “unexpected”. She said she “prayed a lot” for the victims and asked for privacy while “our family is in mourning”. The second season of Happiness faced what were then the charges against him with the new episodes released just under a month before his guilty plea.
At this point, Aldama did not react on social media to the news of Harris’ sentencing. Yes Happiness returns for a third season, it is currently unclear if and how the documentary series will deal with its doom.
When news of Jerry Harris’s conviction broke, USA Today was unable to contact his lawyers for comment. The judge who determined the duration said it was an “expression of the gravity” of his crimes, but “tempered by a certain hope that all was not lost” for him or his victims. Neither Harris nor any representative has commented publicly as of this writing.
Source: Cinemablend
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